During a
time of uncertainty for his party, Goebbels assured the
faithful at one of the big rallies that "if we take the
streets we take the state." Suspect it's like that now.
Those rallies of the 1920's and 30's had a lot in common
with the pomp and ceremony associated with the more
authoritarian religious movements. You can kind of see
it at something like Easter when the Pope appears on the
balcony and everyone goes crazy then when it's down to
the communion there's the dressing up, the big hats are
donned and the faithful become zombie like in their
obedience. No doubt about it there's enthusiasm around a
sense of belonging, and at the same time there's a sort
of chill that silences dissent. It's a wave and those
who aren't surfing don't belong.

A journalist
called William Shirer was a witness to an early
Nuremberg Rally, he described a moment on the evening
before the big event. He was wandering the streets,
trying to find his way around, and he found himself in a
throng of ten thousand people chanting outside a hotel
room. When the great leader appeared the crowd joined in
a messianic ecstasy which from Shirer's description
might remind the television generation of teenagers
greeting a Beatle at an airport. The more recent
iteration of a Nuremberg Rally is probably better
likened unto a sporting event, something like
professional wrestling, an outrageous entertainment for
a crowd. As Goebbels suggested, "intellectual activity
is a danger to the building of character," which is
another way of saying thinking's bad.